TikTok Causes Schools to Close Across the Country

Recently, a viral threat that seems to have originated from TikToks from multiple teenagers was sent out encouraging students to bring guns and different weapons to school this “Friday the 17th.” The threats show that there is no school safe from the dangers of school shootings, and these threats were issued to “every school in the USA including elementary.” These “Friday the 17th” threats are not deemed “credible threats”, according to what Ohio’s Milford Exempted Village School District wrote to parents, but there have been many safety measures implemented by schools across the country just in case.

While authorities consider the threats ‘are not credible’ according to washingtonpost.com, parents and students are still concerned. States such as Arizona, New York, Pennsylvania, Montana, and Illinois have increased law enforcement numbers around school zones, and some schools in different states, including Minnesota and Montana, completely closed for the day. The Lakeville, Minnesota area schools released the following statement: “Overnight we, unfortunately, have received a social media threat of a shoting…Out of an abundance of caution for our students, staff, and families, and to support this investigation all schools and district buildings will be closed on December 17th.” TikTok has stated that they will continue to work with authorities to get to the root of this issue, and they take it with “utmost seriousness” although they have “not found evidence of such threats originating or spreading via TikTok.” 

It is not the first time schools have received threats from TikTok, including the popularity of the “devious lick” trend in September where students would pull a “devious lick” and steal items from the school as well as the “slap a teacher” trend where students would record themselves having a discussion with a teacher and then hitting them.

While nothing has come out about any sort of violence in schools as a result of these threats, safety will continue to be ensured around these schools as well as a continuing investigation on what exactly caused these threats.